Since the beginning of the year, Palestinians have fired hundreds of largely inaccurate missiles toward Israel, while Israel has fired more than 5,000 shells into Gaza.

Gen. Aviv Kochavi, the Israeli commander for the south: ''The message we are trying to convey, you can call it deterrence, but it's, 'Ladies and gentlemen, there is an equivalence here: so long as you shoot Qassams at us, we'll shoot artillery at you.